Happy Anniversary Brian!/ Happy B-Day Kambria!

8 YEARS, WaHOO!!! Love you Brian.
Kambria is the best Anniversary present we ever got!!! More to post about her when I have access to pictures. Happy 4th Birthday Baby!!!

Christmas 2008...

Christmas was magical for us this year. The girls are at the PERFECT Christmas age, where they are JUST AS EXCITED for Slinkys and Princess panties, as they are for the expensive stuff! Brynlee and Kam both asked Santa for a ring, they were excited to see that he came through with one for each of them with their own initial on it. Kam also asked Santa for an MP3 player which she has had strapped to herself and on play ever since she opened it (it has a speaker on the outside so we have all been enjoying the music with her)! Gavin is enjoying his new train set, and most of everyone else's gifts. He especially is interested in the music player and also his Daddy's new helicopter. Here are the girls enjoying Christmas breakfast which Daddy so lovingly made for the family...YUM! Bryn was hoping to get a visit from Santa AND the Tooth Fairy in the same day! Her last front tooth is REALLY loose, she kept singing the song "All I want for Christmas is my [3] front teeth!"

These are my favorite boys playing with Daddy's new toy!:

My ornaments of choice this year were the home-made ones, they are the Best kind!

This was our first Christmas at our own home this year. We missed our extended family, but will be able to see them soon...Thank Goodness! Merry Christmas!!!

It's your Birthday...

Do a DANCE!!!

DEAR CHELSEA,

I am so grateful that you are my sister, so today I am going to CELEBRATE the day you were born! However, I will try to forget that on the night you were born, (I was in my new yellow jammies that I got for Christmas), Grandma and Grandpa came to get me out of my warm bed in the MIDDLE of the FREEZING night! Then, they took FOREVER to let me come visit you and mom at the hospital. How dare they?! (I guess it's time to get over that!) You were/are so cute!!! I was grateful when we were finally able to bring you home from the hospital and be together as a family at home. You are a GREAT sister (not to mention, great friend)! Even though I am older and wiser...you have still taught me a few things... ok, maybe alot of things! :) Maybe someday I will be able to walk next door and wish you a Happy Birthday, but for now I will have to settle for a little singing (and dancing which you can't see) over the phone. I hope you have a WONDERFUL Birthday!

LOVE YOU!

IF I had sent out Christmas cards this year...

...I probably would have included these pictures. I also would have wished everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! As you can see with these 3 little Joys, we have MUCH to be MERRY about (also much to be very BUSY with)! Maybe next year I will be able to get out Christmas cards, I think I may need to start now though.

*Photos by Chelsea Rose Photography (my talented sister)

One of THOSE snow days...

I am typically not a fan of cold weather and snow, but there are those days when you wake up from gray and gloomy weather the night before, to unexpected bright sunshine and a blanket of pure white over everything. Something magical about it. Reminds me of my childhood somehow. Yesterday was one of those days:

Brynlee is at that age that you write your name on EVERYTHING! (I remember writing my name on window sills, dolls, and under furniture...I will not be telling her about that yet.)

Kam was waiting for snowflakes to fall in her mouth, unfortunately they never came.

This was Gavin's first real experience with playing in the snow. He wasn't so sure about it at first, but it didn't take him long to be excited about the whole thing. He has always loved being outside.

After I came in the house, Brian decided to go out and show the girls what some real fun is in the snow, I was happy to have a window between me and the "fun!"

The Reason for the Season...

This evening, along with her Joy School friends, Kambria performed a Christmas program at a local Care Center. She was a beautiful angel in the Nativity. Brynlee was asked to be an angel as well, along with a few of the others' older siblings.

Kam has been practicing her songs all week long, and is a very animated little girl. She had all of the actions and words perfectly and would dance along, but tonight we were lucky that she got up there at all. She was a little shy, but her cuteness makes up for it all! We are so proud of her.

I am grateful to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, and even more importantly to celebrate His perfect life and His death which made it possible for us to live with Him again. I know that He lives and that He wants us to experience true joy in this lifetime. "True Joy" for me is my family, I am grateful to know that if I live the way that He and Heavenly Father want me to, I can be with my family for Eternity. So grateful.

Happy Birthday Toddy-Woddy-... etc...

Dear Big Brother,

Wish I were with you to celebrate today. If I were there, we would probably compare our muscles, you would win...but at least I am more flexible:
You have always been a wonderful brother, very protective of me. I felt protective of you too.
You married a Beautiful and INCREDIBLE woman!!! I should know, I hand-picked her for you! You can thank me again later. :)

You are such a good Daddy to your little ones, they are lucky kiddos (and really cute too)!

The first thing I always think of when I think of you is this video from 1991 (gotta love the light-bulb microphone) The end of the video is the best part! Thanks for always making me smile, you are really one of my favorite people in the WHOLE WORLD!

LOVE YOU and hope you have a WONDERFUL Day!!!

"YAAA YOU!!!"

This little guy is really so sweet. He comes up to me all of the time and just randomly gives me big hugs and kisses, whether it's on my back, leg, hand, cheek, but most of the time it is smack on the lips! Last night in the car I randomly said "Love you," and he surprisingly yelled back "YAA YOU," and he accompanied it with kissing his own hand and throwing the kiss! It was immediately followed by a very surprised audience (parents and sisters) who were very quick to yell happy sounds and clap. With the attention he received he did it several more times. He has not yet said many words (mostly he just points and grunts for the things he wants), so it was a very monumental moment for me. PROUD MOMMA.

What it's ALL ABOUT...

We just spent a wonderful week with family for Thanksgiving. It went by WAY TOO FAST!!! Even the drive wasn't bad...the kids loved movies the whole way, while Brian and I listened to a book on MP3. We stayed in a hotel half-way, which the kids always love. Even better though, was our arrival to Grandma and Grandpa's house! We got to hold our new nephew/cousin "Baby Dawson," play with loads of cousins (8 kids total, all ages 5 and under!), chase the kitty around the house constantly, and we can't forget STUFFING ourselves with incredibly yummy food on Thanksgiving Day!

This picture is of Grandma and "her girls" in the Christmas outfits that I made them:
Grandma PJ and my Mom...my definition of Beautiful (seriously...my grandma is 83 and not a wrinkle on her!):

The family is Growing! Eight Grandkids with one on the way:

The kiddos all love GREAT Grandma and GREAT Grandpa!:

Gettin' Comfy with Grandpa AL: